Quite a few SHARE members reached out to SHARE organizers to get help understanding the details of the vaccine mandate, figuring out what their options were, and deciding what to do. Almost all SHARE members were “in compliance” with the mandate by the 5pm deadline, either by requesting an exemption or by getting vaccinated. About two dozen members did not quite meet the deadline, and SHARE staff organizers worked with a number of them to resolve their situations.
This final email about the vaccine mandate went out to SHARE members as the extended deadline approached, offering last-minute help and outlining what we expected our final agreement with the medical school to look like. The details of the agreement were finalized by the end of the day and emailed to all SHARE members.
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VACCINE DEADLINE – DO YOU NEED HELP?
Today is the deadline that UMass has set for employees to get at least their first shot of vaccine. Employees who don’t meet this deadline will have their badge access to campus cut off unless they have an approved religious or medical exemption. If you have not yet uploaded proof of vaccination and you want help figuring out your options, please contact SHARE.
IMPACT BARGAINING
SHARE has been negotiating over the impact of the UMMS vaccine mandate for a few weeks now. As we have discussed in two member meetings, the union has the right to negotiate “how” not “if” – how the vaccine mandate is implemented, but not if there is a vaccine mandate or not.
The management team has been unwilling to move on the core facts of the vaccine mandate: Everyone must either have their first shot or an approved exemption by 5pm today, September 10th, or their badge will be deactivated until they comply. Management did move the deadline by 3 days, (it was originally the 7th) but they are unwilling to move it further. If employees get a vaccine that requires a second shot, they must get the shot and provide proof by 5pm on October 11th.
We have had more success around the edges of the policy, in ways that will matter to some SHARE members. We do not have a final agreement, but here is what we have been talking about:
An extension for people who can work from home
People who apply for an exemption by the deadline, but don’t get approved until after the deadline, will get back the time they had to use to get paid
Time off to get vaccinated if you decide to
Two paid days off to deal with any symptoms from the vaccine, or just to use by 6/30/2022 if you don’t need the time off for symptoms
Testing on-site for CCU employees
Support for employees who lose their job because they choose not to be vaccinated
QUESTIONS
If you have questions, please reach out to a SHARE Staff Organizer.
Andrea Caceres 617-455-7717 andrea.caceres@theshareunion.org
Jana Hollingsworth 508-929-4020 x11 jana.hol@theshareunion.org
A.J. Iaconi 617-599-7372 aj.iaconi@theshareunion.org
Jameal Jackson 617-429-1194 jameal.jackson@theshareunion.org
Elisabeth Szanto 617-620-2209 elisabeth.szanto@theshareunion.org